High capacity magazine for automatic feed blind rivet setting tool

ABSTRACT

A magazine for holding a larger quantity of blind rivets ready for use in an automatic rivet setting tool. The rivets are connected in spaced relation along the length of an elongated flexible rivet carrying strip or ribbon by having a distal portion of each mandrel inserted or pierced through the carrying strip. The magazine preferably includes an upwardly tapering conical or truncated conical shaped support surface held for rotation about a preferably upright central spool axis on a support stand. The carrying strip is loaded with rivets and spiral-wound around and flat against the outer support surface with the head of each rivet extending away from the spool axis and the distal portion positioned against the outer surface so that each rivet is automatically positioned in an outwardly extending fashion from the support surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to automatic riveting devices, and moreparticularly to a high capacity rivet magazine for an automatic feedblind or pop-rivet setting device used in a production setting.

2. Description of Related Art

Considerable technological effort has been expended in developing blindor pop or mandrel-type rivets, hereinafter collectively referred to asblind rivets, and the associated manually operated devices for settingsuch rivets. The primary requirement for setting blind rivets is tosupport the enlarged flange of the rivet body against an anvil or rivettable with the rivet body inserted through a closely mating hole in awork surface. The mandrel extends axially through the rivet table and isgripped by jaws which tension and pull the mandrel rearwardly, expandingthe body of the rivet to a point where the mandrel is fractured away.Thus, blind rivets are particularly useful in situations where aconventional riveting tool does not have access to both sides of theworking surfaces to be rivet-connected together.

What appears to be a second stage in the development of blind rivets hasbeen toward the automatic setting of the rivet wherein a source of powersuch as a motor, a pneumatic actuator or hydraulics are utilized toreplace manual effort in expanding and setting the rivet through mandrelpull.

This riveting technology has also expanded into the development ofautomatic riveting devices which include an automatic feed means for therivets themselves. Prior to such development, the user has been requiredto manually insert each fresh rivet into the rivet table one at a time.Because these devices still require the user to depress an actuator ortrigger to set each rivet, these devices are referred to as“semi-automatic” rivet machines having an automatic feed.

The bulk of these automatic feed rivet devices fall generally into twocategories. The first category is one wherein the nosepiece and/or rivettable is pivotally or arcuately connected wherein these components swingapart radially outwardly from one another so that a new rivet may bepassed forward longitudinally from behind this arrangement intoposition, whereupon the nosepiece and/or rivet table components areclosed around the rivet body and mandrel with the flange of the rivetagainst the distal end surface of the rivet table.

The second general category of automatic rivet feed means is directed toan external arm arrangement which swings or pivots a fresh rivet intocoaxial alignment forwardly of the rivet anvil and then eitherautomatically draws or allows the rivet to be manually moved rearwardlywherein the mandrel enters the longitudinal aperture of the rivet anvil.

Despite this considerable effort and incentive in developing such anautomatic feed rivet setting device, only one such machine hassuccessfully been marketed and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,873.A rivet magazine is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,497.

The present invention provides an improved feed magazine for compactlyholding a large quantity of blind rivets for such a rivet settingdevice, preferably in a production assembly situation. This inventionoffers fully automatic rivet magazine feed means for an accompanying theautomatic rivet setting device which will set rivets automatically asquickly as an operator can act to position each new rivet head intoanother hole in the work surface and activate the riveter.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a magazine for holding a larger quantityof blind rivets ready for use in an automatic rivet setting tool. Therivets are connected in spaced relation along the length of an elongatedflexible rivet carrying strip or ribbon by having a distal portion ofeach mandrel inserted or pierced through the carrying strip. Themagazine preferably includes an upwardly tapering conical or truncatedconical shaped support surface held for rotation about a preferablyupright central spool axis on a support stand. The carrying strip isloaded with rivets and spiral-wound around and flat against the outersupport surface with the head of each rivet extending away from thespool axis and the distal portion positioned against the outer surfaceso that each rivet is automatically positioned in an outwardly extendingfashion from the support surface.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved economicallymanufactured magazine for holding a large quantity of rivets on aflexible carrying strip wound onto the magazine for automatic blindrivet feed into an automatic rivet setting tool.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparenthereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved high capacity magazineholding a large quantity of rivets each of which is held on an elongatedrivet carrying strip of flexible material.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the high capacity magazine of FIG. 1absent the carrying strip.

FIG. 3 is a broken view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an upper interior perspective view of the magazine of FIG. 1partially loaded with rivets carried on the rivet carrying strip.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper portion of themagazine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a further enlarged view of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a still further enlarged view of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a still further enlarged view of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, the invention is there shown generally atnumeral 10 as best seen in FIG. 1 and includes a truncated conicalmagazine assembly 12 and an upright floor or horizontalsurface-supported portable support stand 42 having a weighteddisc-shaped base 20 and an upright stanchion 22 defining an uprightspool axis B. The magazine assembly 12 includes the magazine 14 itselfand a rivet supply 28 including a length of flexible plastic strip 26,preferably MYLAR, loaded with blind rivets 30. The magazine 14preferably includes a truncated conical or conical outer support surface44 having a smaller upper end 16 and an enlarged lower end 18. Themagazine assembly 12 is mounted for substantially free rotationalmovement in the direction of arrow A about the upright spool axis Bdefined by the upright stanchion 22 of support stand 42. The lower endof the stanchion 22 is connected to a weighted disc-shaped base 20 whichis supportable atop e.g. a floor of an assembly area or other generallyhorizontal support surface. As best seen in FIG. 5, the upper end 40 ofthe stanchion 22 freely supports the magazine hub 36 which is supportedby radially extending wire members 38 extending between the upper end 16and the hub 36.

The blind rivets are shown generally at 30 and are of a conventionalnature having an elongated separable mandrel and a rivet head. Thedistal tip of each mandrel is pierced through an elongated flexibleplastic or MYLAR® strip 26 preferably having a thickness of about0.02″-0.03″ and a width of about 0.4″ as more completely described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,136,873. When this high capacity magazine assembly 12 isutilized in a production setting, the MYLAR® strip 26 is of sufficientlength to hold approximately 250 to 1000 rivets 30 in spacedrelationship one to another. The spacing is preferably about 2″ apartfor timing and convenient smooth feeding from the magazine 14 into themandrel or nose of the rivet setting tool again described in the '873patent.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, an array of evenly spaced carrying stripsupport shafts or prongs 32 substantially rigidly and substantiallypermanently extend outwardly from the conical surface 44 of the magazine14. These support shafts 32 in one embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 arerigidly connected to backing plates 24 by threaded or riveted engagementtherebetween. Thus, to maintain the spiral wound arrangement of therivet loaded carrying strip assembly 28 laid in spiral wound fashionatop the truncated conical surface 44 in a generally evenly spaced arrayfrom the bottom 18 to the top 16 of the magazine 14, two features ofthis invention cooperatively interact for this purpose. The upwardlyconically shaped support surface 44 serves by gravity to at leastpartially prevent the spiral upwardly wound carrying strip assembly 28in the spaced position shown in the drawings. Additionally, the supportshafts 32 spaced evenly and incrementally around and along the lengthsof the support surface 44 maintain this spaced array of spiral windingsof the rivet carrying strip assembly 28 so that the upper distal endportion 46 thereof may be easily unwound and fed into the rivet settingtool in the direction of arrow C which causes the rotation of themagazine assembly 12 in the direction of arrow A.

An alternate form of the support prongs or tabs 32′ are shown in FIG. 4wherein the support surface 44′ is formed of material which may beeasily deformed by punch or die cut in spaced arrays such that thepierced segments are outwardly deformed to form each of the supportprongs or tabs 32′. These support tabs 32′ extend evenly over themagazine surface 42 from the lower end 18′ to the upper end 16′ of themagazine 14′.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in whatare conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosedherein, but is to be afforded the full scope of the claims so as toembrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.

1. A magazine for holding a larger quantity of blind rivets ready foruse in an automatic rivet setting tool, the rivets being connected inspaced relation along the length of an elongated flexible rivet carryingstrip by having a distal portion of each mandrel inserted or piercedthrough the carrying strip, said magazine comprising: a conical ortruncated conical shaped support surface held for rotation about anupright central spool axis on a support stand; each rivet being carriedon the carrying strip so that, when said carrying strip loaded withrivets is spiral-wound around and flat against said support surface withthe head of each rivet extending away from the spool axis and the distalportion thereof positioned against and extending outwardly from theouter surface.
 2. A magazine as set forth in claim 1, wherein: saidsupport surface includes a plurality of rivet carrying strip supportshafts or prongs which outwardly extend from, and rigidly attached to,or are formed as a part of said support surface; said support shafts orprongs support and maintain against gravity a spaced array of the spiralwound arrangement of said rivet carrying strip from the bottom to thetop of said support surface.
 3. A magazine holding a larger quantity ofblind rivets ready for use in an automatic rivet setting tool,comprising; an elongated flexible rivet carrying strip; said rivetsbeing held in spaced relation along the length of said carrying strip byhaving a distal portion of each mandrel inserted or pierced through saidcarrying strip; said magazine including a conical or truncated conicalshaped support surface held for rotation about an upright central spoolaxis on a support stand; each rivet being carried on the carrying strip,said carrying strip being spiral-wound around and flat against saidouter support surface with said distal portions being positioned againstsaid outer surface wherein each rivet is automatically positioned inradially extending fashion away from said outer surface.
 4. A magazineas set forth in claim 2, wherein: said support surface includes aplurality of rivet carrying strip support shafts or prongs whichoutwardly extend from, and rigidly attached to, or are formed as a partof said support surface; said support shafts or prongs support andmaintain against gravity a spaced array of the spiral wound arrangementof said rivet carrying strip from the bottom to the top of said supportsurface.